Senators roll to victory against Canadiens in NHL preseason game

The Ottawa Senators decided to give the kids a chance Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.

They were just fine.

Logan Brown, the Senators’ first-round draft pick in 2016, led the attack with two goals and an assist, while 2017 second-rounder Alex Formenton had two assists in a 5-1 victory against the Montreal Canadiens at Canadian Tire Centre.

Max Reinhart, Jonny Oduya and Mark Stone also chipped in with goals as the Senators improved their National Hockey League preseason record to 3-0.

Veteran goalie Craig Anderson, who suited up for his first full game of the pre-season, allowed only one goal by the Canadiens’ Charles Hudon scored for Montreal.

It should be noted the Habs didn’t have No. 1 netminder Carey Price available for duty, and backup Al Montoya didn’t have a lot of help from a short-handed Montreal lineup.

With 33 players left on the roster, the Senators still have a lot of decisions to make because of injuries to captain Erik Karlsson (foot) and centre Derick Brassard (shoulder).

On the blueline, prospect Thomas Chabot started on the second pairing with Mark Borowiecki. The club also took another look at defenceman Maxime Lajoie, and he picked up an assist on Stone’s second-period goal.

Logan Brown scored two goals for the Senators against the Canadiens on Saturday night. James Park/PostmediaJames Park

Brown started the game at centre between veterans Stone and Bobby Ryan, while Filip Chlapik played a second-line role with Formenton. The 18-year-old has pushed hard to show that he belongs as part of the NHL group and didn’t hurt his cause on Saturday.

“It feels good, definitely, to keep the confidence up,” Brown said. “I had a really good opportunity with my linemates. I just tried to make the most of it and have fun out there. It ended up being a good night.”

Coach Guy Boucher said he wanted to see what the young players could do, which was why he gave them the opportunity to succeed, but the club planned to make some difficult decisions with the roster after the game.

“We’re not getting closer (to a roster),” Boucher said with a laugh. “The only thing we’ll have to do is we’ll have to make tough decisions now and we have to send guys where they belong. They’re pushing the envelope.

“You’ve got guys that were pushing last year that have worked really hard and are pushing really hard. Then you’ve got young guys who are way above where we thought they would be. It’s a credit to our scouts. It’s becoming quite exciting.”

With three tests left before the regular-season opener Oct. 5 against the Washington Capitals, the Senators want to be down to their final roster by the time they face the Winnipeg Jets next Wednesday in the Manitoba capital and close out the pre-season against the Habs next Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

The Senators were ahead 4-1 after 40 minutes and had outshot Montreal by 23-16, including 12-4 in the second period. After Stone gave his club a 4-0 lead with 11 minutes remaining in that period, Hudon got the Habs on the board at 12:12.

“It was another good opportunity for the young guys to perform and they did,” Stone said. “There’s a good competition for those last few lineup spots and for us it’s working on good habits and working on our power play.’

Oduya, signed as an unrestricted free agent in late July, continued to impress as he played beside Cody Ceci. Not only did he have an alternate “A” on his sweater, but Oduya also helped the club pull out to a 3-0 lead at 1:30 of the second, when he fired the puck by Montoya on the glove side.

The Senators led 2-0 lead at 9:52 of the first period, when Reinhart pounced on a rebound. Formenton picked up his second assist of the game on that goal.

Brown did a good opening the scoring. After a giveaway in the Montreal zone, he went to the net and converted the rebound of Ryan’s shot at the four-minute mark.

Senators goalie Anderson made 25 stops and looked good.

“It was fun out there to play 60 minutes and go through the routine,” he said. “You have to make sure you stay sharp throughout the whole 60 minutes.”

The Senators will head to Prince Edward Island on Sunday to prepare to face the New Jersey Devils in Summerside on Monday night as part of Kraft Hockeyville celebrations.

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